Australian Open champion Aryna Sabalenka needed to wait till near midnight to kick off her title defence however the ruthless world quantity two made fast work of teary German qualifier Ella Seidel with a 6-0, 6-1 victory on the Grand Slam’s opening Sunday.
With followers on Rod Laver Area nonetheless catching their breath after defending males’s champion Novak Djokovic obtained previous teenager Dino Prizmic in a four-hour marathon, Sabalenka shrugged off the 11.41 p.m. begin to overwhelm her 18-year-old German opponent.
“I’m tremendous completely satisfied to be again. The final time I used to be right here I had unbelievable recollections, unforgettable recollections. I’m so grateful to really feel the help and the ambiance,” Sabalenka mentioned.
The highly effective second seed from Belarus wasted little time in asserting herself as she raced to a 5-0 lead within the opening set which she wrapped up in 22 solely minutes with a few cool backhand volleys on the internet.
READ | Australian Open: Wozniacki into second spherical after harm withdrawal
Sabalenka, who briefly took the highest rating final 12 months on the again of semi-final runs on the French Open and Wimbledon earlier than a runner-up end on the U.S. Open, continued to dominate and surged forward 3-0 within the subsequent as Seidel held again tears.
Grand Slam most important draw debutant Seidel acquired enormous cheers from the sympathetic crowd as she lastly obtained on the scoreboard at 5-1 however there was no stopping Sabalenka who despatched out a warning to her rivals with a dominant show.
Sabalenka, who will tackle 16-year-old Brenda Fruhvirtova subsequent, mentioned not a lot had modified for her after an unbelievable 12 months on the tour.
“I nonetheless should work arduous and work for my desires. It’s wonderful I used to be in a position to obtain so many objectives in tennis. There’s extra to return,” she mentioned, earlier than including that she missed taking part in on the blue courts of Melbourne.
“Hopefully I can keep right here until the final day.”